Field Of Electronic Engineering Research Articles

A Critical Review of the HND Course in Electronic Engineering at the University of Greenwich

SUMMARY The Higher National Diploma (HND) course in electronic engineering at the University of Greenwich is vocational in nature and seeks to develop the skills and expertise of students which are applicable and relevant in the field of electronic engineering. This paper describes the course aims and objectives, its structure and organization, teaching methodology and assessment procedures. An analysis of student and employer feedback through personal contacts, team meetings, questionnaires and open course reviews is also presented.

A nonlinear least squares program, MULTI(FILT), based on fast inverse laplace transform for microcomputers.

A nonlinear curve fitting program MULTI(FILT) into which the fast inverse Laplace transform (FILT) is incorporated was developed on a microcomputer. FILT is an algorithm for the numerical inversion of Laplace-transformed equations (image equations) to generate the corresponding real time courses. The pharmacokinetic models can be defined in the form of Laplace-transformed equations as a subroutine in MULTI(FILT). MULTI(FILT) achieves the numerical inversion of the defined image equations according to FILT and the subsequent curve-fitting of the inverse-transformed time courses to the experimental data points to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters by the nonlinear least-squares method. MULTI(FILT) has a function to impose constraints on the pharmacokinetic parameters. In order to verify the reliability of MULTI(FILT), the pharmacokinetic parameters estimated by MULTI(FILT) were compared with those by MULTI using 100 time courses which were artificially generated according to the Monte Carlo method, based on data for theophylline and bishydroxycoumarin. The estimated pharmacokinetic parameters by MULTI(FILT) agreed with those by MULTI. Thus, it is suggested that FILT, developed in the field of electronic technology, is also useful in the pharmacokinetic field.

Optimising accelerator for CAD workstation

Sequential versions of those optimisation algorithms which are based on random search heuristics are often too slow to be of value to the interactive user of a CAD workstation. A significant gain in speed can be achieved by using concurrent algorithms to drive an optimising accelerator attached to the workstation. The paper discusses the design and performance of a hardware accelerator which incorporates INMOS transputers. Concurrent versions of two algorithms are described, one relevant to combinatorial optimisation and the other to global optimisation. The mapping of these algorithms on to the transputer hardware is discussed. The application and performance of each algorithm is illustrated by means of a representative problem from the field of electronic engineering.

Microtechnology

The ability of the semiconductor industry to fabricate complex electronic circuits containing, say, 10000 components in a single crystal of silicon of dimensions 5 mm x 5 mm x 0.2 mm has become almost a commonplace, as the basis for semiconductor memories, microprocessors, calculators, electronic watches, etc. It has led to the concept of ‘the pervasiveness of silicon technology’. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how and why this technology has developed to date, and to consider the ways in which past trends are likely to continue in the next decade. In particular it suggests ways in which the skills of the telecommunications system designer and of the silicon process engineer need to be brought more closely together in the future in order to ensure that the telecommunications industry is able to make optimum use of this dominant field of electronic technology - the silicon integrated circuit.

Comment on ‘Can a pulse excitation smaller than kT be detected?’

A recent author has proposed a system incorporating a delay line to detect pulses of energy less than kT. In this letter, it is pointed out that the detection of pulses of energy less than kT, by means of conventional active filters, is commonplace in the field of electronic engineering.

The Future of Electronic Engineering

Engineering proceeds from the simplicity of its early days to the sometimes amazing complexity of its present practices. And important new branches of engineering spring into being to make their contributions to human welfare. There has thus arisen the significant and rapidly developing field of electronic engineering, the future of which is here considered by the vice-president in charge of engineering of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.